The first and most important thing you should know about Paramount Pictures’ Thor is that it’s not a laughably corny comic book adaptation. Though you might find it hokey to hear a bunch of muscled heroes talk like British royalty while walking around the American Southwest in LARP garb director Kenneth Branagh has condensed vast Marvel mythology to make an accessible straightforward fantasy epic. Like most films of its ilk I’ve got some issues with its internal logic aesthetic and dialogue but the flaws didn’t keep me from having fun with this extra dimensional adventure.
Taking notes from fellow Avenger Iron Man the story begins with an enthralling event that takes place in a remote desert but quickly jumps back in time to tell the prologue which introduces the audience to the shining kingdom of Asgard and its various champions. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) son of Odin is heir to the throne but is an arrogant overeager and ill-tempered rogue whose aggressive antics threaten a shaky truce between his people and the frost giants of Jotunheim one of the universe’s many realms. Odin (played with aristocratic boldness by Anthony Hopkins) enraged by his son’s blatant disregard of his orders to forgo an assault on their enemies after they attempt to reclaim a powerful artifact banishes the boy to a life among the mortals of Earth leaving Asgard defenseless against the treachery of Loki his mischievous “other son” who’s always felt inferior to Thor. Powerless and confused the disgraced Prince finds unlikely allies in a trio of scientists (Natalie Portman Stellan Skarsgard and Kat Dennings) who help him reclaim his former glory and defend our world from total destruction.
Individually the make-up visual effects CGI production design and art direction are all wondrous to behold but when fused together to create larger-than-life set pieces and action sequences the collaborative result is often unharmonious. I’m not knocking the 3D presentation; unlike 2010’s genre counterpart Clash of the Titans the filmmakers had plenty of time to perfect the third dimension and there are only a few moments that make the decision to convert look like it was a bad one. It’s the unavoidable overload of visual trickery that’s to blame for the frost giants’ icy weaponized constructs and other hybrids of the production looking noticeably artificial. Though there’s some imagery to nitpick the same can’t be said of Thor’s thunderous sound design which is amped with enough wattage to power The Avengers’ headquarters for a century.
Chock full of nods to the comics the screenplay is both a strength and weakness for the film. The story is well sequenced giving the audience enough time between action scenes to grasp the characters motivations and the plot but there are tangential narrative threads that disrupt the focus of the film. Chief amongst them is the frost giants’ fore mentioned relic which is given lots of attention in the first act but has little effect on the outcome. In addition I felt that S.H.I.E.L.D. was nearly irrelevant this time around; other than introducing Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye the secret security faction just gets in the way of the movie’s momentum.
While most of the comedy crashes and burns there are a few laughs to be found in the film. Most come from star Hemsworth’s charismatic portrayal of the God of Thunder. He plays up the stranger-in-a-strange-land aspect of the story with his cavalier but charming attitude and by breaking all rules of diner etiquette in a particularly funny scene with the scientists whose respective roles as love interest (Portman) friendly father figure (Skarsgaard) and POV character (Dennings) are ripped right out of a screenwriters handbook.
Though he handles the humorous moments without a problem Hemsworth struggles with some of the more dramatic scenes in the movie; the result of over-acting and too much time spent on the Australian soap opera Home and Away. Luckily he’s surrounded by a stellar supporting cast that fills the void. Most impressive is Tom Hiddleston who gives a truly humanistic performance as the jealous Loki. His arc steeped in Shakespearean tragedy (like Thor’s) drums up genuine sympathy that one rarely has for a comic book movie villain.
My grievances with the technical aspects of the production aside Branagh has succeeded in further exploring the Marvel Universe with a film that works both as a standalone superhero flick and as the next chapter in the story of The Avengers. Thor is very much a comic book film and doesn’t hide from the reputation that its predecessors have given the sub-genre or the tropes that define it. Balanced pretty evenly between “serious” and “silly ” its scope is large enough to please fans well versed in the source material but its tone is light enough to make it a mainstream hit.

Salt the propulsive new thriller from Phillip Noyce (Clear and Present Danger Patriot Games) has been dubbed “Bourne with boobs ” but that label isn’t entirely accurate. In the role of Evelyn Salt a CIA staffer hunted by her own agency after a Russian defector fingers her in a plot to murder Russia’s president Angelina Jolie keeps her two most potent weapons holstered hidden under pantsuits and trenchcoats and the various other components of a super-spy wardrobe that proudly emphasizes function over flash.
But flash is one thing Salt never lacks for. Its breathless cat-and-mouse game hits full-throttle almost from the outset when a former KGB officer named Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski) stumbles into a CIA interrogation room and begins spilling details of a vast conspiracy. Back in the ‘70s hardline elements of the Soviet regime launched an ambitious new front in the Cold War flooding the western world with orphans trained to infiltrate the security complexes of their adopted homelands and wait patiently — decades if necessary — for the order to initiate a series of assassinations intended to trigger a devastating nuclear clash between the superpowers from which the treacherous Reds would emerge triumphant.
The Soviet Union may have long ago collapsed (or did it? Hmmm...) but its army of brainwashed killer orphan spies remains in place and if this crazy Orlov fellow is to be believed they stand poised to reignite the Cold War. It’s a preposterous — even idiotic — scheme but no more so than any of our government’s various harebrained proposals to kill Castro back in the ‘60s. As such the CIA treats it with grave seriousness even the part that that pegs Salt who just happens to be a Russian-born orphan herself as a key player in the conspiracy.
Salt bristles at the accusation but suspecting a set-up she opts to flee rather than face interrogation from her bosses Winter (Liev Schreiber) and Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor). A former field agent she’s been confined to a desk job since a clandestine operation in North Korea went south leaving her with a nasty shiner and a rather unremarkable German boyfriend (now her unremarkable German husband). She’s clearly kept up her training during while cubicle-bound however and in a blaze of resourceful thinking and devastating Parkour Fu she fends off a dozen or so agents of questionable competence and takes to the streets where she sets about to clear her name and unravel the Commie orphan conspiracy before the authorities can catch up with her. That is if she isn’t a part of the conspiracy.
The premise which aims to resurrect Cold War tensions and graft them onto a modern-day spy thriller is absurdly clever — and cleverly absurd. But Kurt Wimmer’s screenplay isn’t satisfied with the merely clever and absurd — it must be mind-blowing. Salt is one of those thrillers that ladles out its backstory slowly and in tiny portions every once in a while dropping a revelatory bombshell that effectively blows the lid off everything that happened beforehand. No one is who they seem and every action every gesture no matter how seemingly trivial is imbued with some kind of grand significance. The effect of piling on one insane twist after another has the effect of gradually diluting the narrative. When anything is possible nothing really matters.
But spy thrillers by definition trade in the preposterous and the principal function of the summer blockbuster is to entertain. In that regard Salt more than fulfills its charge. Noyce wisely keeps the story moving at pace that allows little time for asking uncomfortable questions or poking holes in the film’s frail plot. And he has an able partner in the infinitely versatile Jolie who having already exhibited formidable action-hero chops in Wanted and the Tomb Raider films proves remarkably adept at the spy game as well.
It’s well-known that Jolie wasn’t the first choice to star in Salt joining the project only after Tom Cruise dropped out citing the story’s growing similarities to the Mission: Impossible films. But she’s more than just a capable replacement; she’s a welcome upgrade over Cruise not least because she’s over a decade younger (and a few inches taller) than her predecessor. Should Brad Bird require a pinch-hitter for Ethan Hunt he knows where to look.

A billionaire TV producer (Robert Mammone) has a great idea for a reality show that he wants to put on the Internet and his goal is to beat the 40 million Super Bowl audience. He has compiled a crack team of young hip and immoral tech geeks directed by Goldman (Rick Hoffman) and puts cameras throughout a remote island where former prisoners are going to kill each other while audiences watch after shelling out the pay-per-view fee. The location is done on a remote secret island and the death row prisoners are bought from prisons around the world with the promise that the survivor gets to walk free. Among the contestants are a rogue Aussie named McStarley (Vinnie Jones) a martial arts expert (Masa Yamaguchi) a husband-and-wife team (Manu Bennett and Dasi Ruz) a monstrous killer who doesn't do much more than grunt (Nathan Jones) and others known only as The Italian The German and other monikers quickly forgotten. Enter the sole American Jack Conrad (Steve Austin) who's in a South American prison for some obscure reason and is recognized on TV by his wife (Madeleine West) who tries to save him. However it looks like Conrad is pretty good at helping himself. Don't expect the acting to be much more evolved than what could be seen among the World Wrestling Entertainment superstars especially since many of them were plucked from the ring to star in this morality tale. But Austin (who had in a strong cameo in Adam Sandler's Longest Yard) proves he has a sense of humor as well as strength. Vinnie Jones is ridiculously over-the-top as the Aussie who's the hand-picked winner of this game shown setting up alliances Survivor style only to turn on them later. The supporting cast are refreshingly entertaining but one-note caricatures both in the contest and running the contest. It's obvious that they aren't going to be around long but the actors do milk their tiny roles for every bit of attention they can get. Rick Hoffman as the brilliant camera mastermind of the project is both whiny sniveling and mean-spirited so when he joins some of the rest of the crew and suddenly develops a backbone and a conscience he ends up stealing the movie with his acerbic humor. But it's the understated American hero Conrad who holds a mirror up to the people who like to watch this stuff. Director Scott Wiper who co-wrote this story has also acted in similar movies like this (A Better Way to Die). It’s obvious he knows what he’s doing with The Condemned and develops a sense of voyeuristic angst like those of us who can't keep our eyes off a train wreck. Like the darkly subversive Belgian film Man Bites Dog the camera crew remains safely distant and remote until the reality directly involves them. Then the crew wonders "What the hell are we doing?" while the audience might be thinking "What the hell are we watching?" Much like Series 7: The Contenders Rollerball and other movies which show a dark and bloody near future this kind of reality doesn't seem too far away and maybe proves that movies which provide this type of gladiator spectacle target a certain segment of the human population who need to blow off steam.

Liv Tyler has baby boy
Lord of the Rings star Liv Tyler and her husband, Royston Langdon of the band Spacehog, welcomed a baby boy Tuesday. The baby, born at New York-Prebysterian Hospital, hasn't yet been named. According to People magazine, the baby was born at 4:11 a.m. and weighed 8 pounds. "They are both doing great," Tyler's publicist, Stephen Huvane, told The Associated Press Wednesday. Besides playing the elf princess Arwen in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Tyler's screen credits include Jersey Girl and Armageddon--both alongside co-star Ben Affleck. But it was her appearance as a teen vixen in Aerosmith's 1994 video for "Crazy" that really put her on the map. The 27-year-old actress is the daughter of model Bebe Buell and Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler, which now makes the sexy 54-year-old rock star a grandfather. It's probably too early to tell if the baby will have the same, sensual, full-lipped mouth the Tylers are so famous for.
Whitney Houston rams Porsche into bus
Singer Whitney Houston rear-ended a city bus with her sports car in Alpharetta, Ga., Wednesday afternoon but no one was hurt, the AP reports. According to Sgt. Chris Lagerbloom, the accident happened as Houston was making a left turn. The bus sustained minor damage and the bumper of Houston's Porsche was mangled--but the 41-year-old singer was not injured. She was given a citation for failure to yield, a misdemeanor. Houston and her husband, R&amp;B singer Bobby Brown, live near the suburb of Alpharetta, about 25 miles north of Atlanta. The couple met in 1989 and were married in July 18, 1992. They admitted to marital problems in in the mid-'90s and reportedly separated in June 1998, but have since reunited.
Anderson gets naked for anti-fur campaign
Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson may have posed naked for an anti-fur billboard, but China's straight-laced media regulators might not allow the billboards to go up, the AP reports. The posters, featuring the slogan "Give fur the cold shoulder" in English, show the 37-year-old actress topless with her back to the camera and an arm partly hiding her right breast. "Depending on the censors, they may be concerned about it, but it's very tastefully done," Jason Baker, a Hong Kong-based spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals told AP. "We may end up having to crop (the photo) a bit." China was the origin of 40 percent of all American fur imports in 2000, according to PETA. Anderson has been an longtime and outspoken supporter of PETA and their initiatives.
Critics Choice pick Sideways
The indie comedy Sideways scored a leading eight nominations, including best picture, for the 10th annual Critics' Choice Awards, Reuters reports. Other Critics Choice contenders included Miramax Films' Finding Neverland with seven nominations, and Martin Scorsese's The Aviator which scored six nods. In the acting categories, Jamie Foxx picked up a best actor mention for Ray and a best supporting actor for Collateral, while Kate Winslet was nominated as best actress for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and as best supporting actress for Finding Neverland. The Critics Choice Awards, organized by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, will announce their winners Jan. 10 in Los Angeles. The WB will broadcast the ceremony live at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Wife Swap producers sue over rival show
British producers of the ABC's popular reality show Wife Swap have filed suit over the Fox show Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy, labeling it as an illegal rip-off, the AP reports. The suit, filed by RDF Media, targets Fox Broadcasting and the show's producers, claiming the show, "more aptly might be entitled 'Trading Copyrights' or perhaps 'Copyright Swap,'" and calls the Fox series "a blatant and wholesale copycat" of Wife Swap. RDF Media is asking for more than $18 million in damages plus all "gains, profits and advantages" derived from the Fox show, the AP reports. Fox spokesman Scott Grogan said the network had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment.
James Brown comes through surgery with flying colors
James Brown underwent successful surgery Wednesday in Atlanta to treat his recently diagnosed prostate cancer, the AP reports. "Mr. Brown has successfully undergone a localized prostate cancer procedure and is resting comfortably," Dr. James Bennett, his urologist, said in a statement. "We expect a full recovery. With proper follow-up and care, we can also expect a full cure." Before the operation, the 71-year-old Godfather of Soul said, "I have overcome a lot of things in my life. I will overcome this as well." Brown is due to release an autobiography next month and is planning a tour of Asia and Australia early next year, the AP reports.
Blake's trial gears up
Before the murder trial against actor Robert Blake begins on Monday, Superior Court Judge Darlene Schempp reversed herself and has decided to allow segments of jailhouse interviews the former Baretta star gave, including the interview he granted journalist Barbara Walters in February 2003, to be used in the prosecution's case, the AP reports. Snippets will also be played from a recorded conversation that Blake had in jail in 2002, in which he told comedian Mort Sahl that Bakley's family were "monsters" who would never get his daughter, which, according to the prosecution, will prove Blake killed his wife because he despised her and her family. Defense attorney M. Gerald Schwartzbach said the comment came some 20 months after the night of the killing and had no relevance to Blake's state of mind at the time of the murder, the AP reports.

Bobby Garfield (David Morse) returns to his small hometown to attend the funeral of his childhood friend and remembers the fateful summer in 1960 when his whole world changed. The story flashes back to when 11-year-old Bobby (Anton Yelchin) and his best friends Carol (Mika Boorem) and Sully-John (Will Rothhaar) capture the pure joy of youthfulness. When a mysterious stranger named Ted Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins) moves upstairs and starts to pay attention to Bobby the boy suddenly realizes what's truly missing from his life--the love of a parent. Bobby's mother Liz (Hope Davis) is embittered by the death of Bobby's father and shows little compassion for her son's growing needs. Ted fills a void with the boy opening his eyes to the world around him and helps Bobby come to terms with his real feelings for Carol--and his mother. But Ted also has some deep dark secrets of his own and Bobby tries hard to stop danger from reaching the old man.
The performances make the film especially in the genuine camaraderie of the kids. Yelchin Boorem and Rothhaar never deliver a false move with an easiness that makes us believe we are simply watching three 11-year-old children grow up together. Yelchin in particular is able to get right to the heart of this young boy who misses his father and clings to the only adult who will listen. And his scenes with Boorem simply break your heart. (Davis) does an admirable job playing a part none too sympathetic. She manages to show a woman whose been beaten down but who does truly love her son in her own way. Morse too is one of those character actors you can plug in any movie and get a performance worth noting. In Hearts you want to see more of him. Of course the film shines brightest when Hopkins is on the screen. It may not be an Oscar-caliber performance but the actor is unparalleled in bringing a character to life--showing the subtleties of an old man looking for some peace in his life.
If you are expecting the Stephen King novel you may be disappointed. Screenwriter William Goldman and director Scott Hicks (Shine) deftly extracted the King formula of telling a story through a child's eye and explaining how the relationships formed as a child shaped the adult later. Hicks did an amazing job with his young actors especially Yelchin and Boorem. But where the novel continued into a supernatural theme explaining Brautigan's fear of being captured by "low men in yellow coats" (a reference to King's The Dark Tower series) the movie downplayed the mystical elements instead giving real explanations for Brautigan's man-on-the-run. That was the one problem with Hearts--we needed more danger. Introducing men from another dimension may not have been the way to go but had there been more tension the film would have resonated more especially when Bobby risked his own safety to save Ted.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) recognized some of the year’s best films on Sunday. "Gladiator" was chosen best film, and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" took away best foreign-language film honors. Each of these Oscar contenders received four BAFTA awards in total.
Producers Douglas Wick, David Franzoni and Branko Lustig accepted the best film award for "Gladiator," praising director Ridley Scott during their acceptance speech, who lost out on the best director prize to Ang Lee for "Tiger."
Besides best foreign film and best director, "Crouching Tiger" also won for music (Tan Dun) and costume design (Tim Yip). Of BAFTA and the United Kingdom, Lee said: "You've always been great to me. This is like a second home to me now."
“Gladiator” also won the Orange Audience Award for most popular film of 2000. Scott thanked DreamWorks and Universal for their courage in backing a $100 million film in a genre that hadn't been touched for 30 years. "It is especially good to win this on my home turf as I spend so much time in the United States," Scott said during his acceptance speech. "I am absolutely thrilled."
Besides the BAFTA honor for best film, "Gladiator" also picked up awards for cinematography (John Mathieson), production design (Arthur Max) and editing (Pietro Scalia).
British effort "Billy Elliot" won three awards, including best British film, best actor (Jamie Bell) and best supporting actress for Julie Walters.
Julia Roberts was named best actress for her performance in the title role of "Erin Brockovich." Presenter Hugh Grant, and co-star in "Notting Hill," picked up the award for the absentee actress.
Best original screenplay and best sound awards went to Cameron Crowe’s "Almost Famous." Crowe's wife, Nancy Wilson, accepted his award, saying that Crowe was unable to attend the event as a double ear infection prevented him from flying. "He meant this movie as a love letter from his heart to music," Wilson said.
Steven Soderbergh's "Traffic" also won two awards, for adapted screenplay (Stephen Gaghan) and supporting actor (Benicio Del Toro).
Veteran casting director Mary Selway was given the Michael Balcon Award for her outstanding contribution to cinema. Actor Albert Finney was presented with a British Film Academy Fellowship for lifetime achievement, receiving a standing ovation.
The complete list of winners:
THE ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP: Albert Finney
THE MICHAEL BALCON AWARD for outstanding British Contribution to Cinema: Mary Selway
THE ALEXANDER KORDA AWARD for outstanding British Film of the Year: "Billy Elliot"
BEST FILM: "Gladiator"
THE DAVID LEAN AWARD for Achievement in Direction: Ang Lee, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
SCREENPLAY (Original): Cameron Crowe, "Almost Famous"
SCREENPLAY (Adapted): Stephen Gaghan, "Traffic"
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS in a leading role: Julia Roberts, "Erin Brockovich"
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR in a leading role: Jamie Bell, "Billy Elliot"
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS in a supporting role: Julie Walters, "Billy Elliot"
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR in a supporting role: Benicio Del Toro, "Traffic"
FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (Bill Hong/Hsu Li Kong/Ang Lee )
THE ANTHONY ASQUITH AWARD for achievement in Film Music: Tan Dun, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD for Most Promising Newcomer to British Film: Pawel Pawlikowski
CINEMATOGRAPHY: John Mathieson, "Gladiator"
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Arthur Max, "Gladiator"
COSTUME DESIGN: Tim Yip, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
EDITING: Pietro Scalia, "Gladiator"
SOUND: Jeff Wexler/D.M. Hemphill/Rick Kline/Paul Massey/Mike Wilhoit, "Almost Famous"
ACHIEVEMENT IN SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS: Stefen Fangmeier/John Frazier/Walt Conti/Habib Zargarpour/Tim Alexander, "The Perfect Storm"
MAKE UP/HAIR: Rick Baker/Kazuhirop Tsuji/Tony G./Gal Ryan/Sylvia Nava, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"
SHORT FILM Gary Holding/Justine Leahy/Tinge Krishnan, "Shadowscan"
SHORT ANIMATION: Claire Jennings/Willem Thijssen/Michael Dudok de Wit, "Father and Daughter"
ORANGE AUDIENCE AWARD: "Gladiator"

There was a "Nutty" taste at the box office this weekend - and it certainly wasn't peanuts!
Moviegoers went nuts to the tune of nearly $43 million for Eddie Murphy's PG-13-rated comedy sequel "Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps" from Universal and Imagine Entertainment.
"Nutty" easily walked off with first place, opening to an estimated $42.74 million at 3,243 theaters ($13,180 per theater). Its per-theater average was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend.
Although "Nutty" had been tracking strongly, projections late last week were that it would open to grosses "north of $30 Million." Clearly, its arrival packed a much bigger punch than anyone was predicting.
The original "Nutty" opened June 28, 1996, to $25.41 million at 2,115 theaters ($12,015 per theater). It went on to do $128.8 million in domestic theaters.
"Fabulous numbers," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said Sunday morning. "Thanks to Imagine, they have their biggest opening ever and Eddie Murphy has his biggest opening ever. And thanks to Universal Pictures, we have another record breaker."
Looking at the past records, Rocco said, "For Imagine it was 'Ransom' at $34.2 million and for Eddie it was 'Beverly Hills Cop 2' for a Memorial Day weekend with $33 million for four days.
"And it's the second-biggest comedy opening ever, behind 'Austin Powers 2.' It's the fourth all-time July opening. It's the second all-time July non-holiday opening."
What accounts for the huge opening? "Eddie Murphy. Comedy. They love the Klumps," Rocco replied. "It's comedy and Eddie - definitely."
Directed by Peter Segal, 'Klumps' stars Eddie Murphy, Janet Jackson and Larry Miller.
DreamWorks R-rated supernatural thriller "What Lies Beneath" showed much better legs than insiders had been projecting.
"Beneath," a co-production of DreamWorks, which is releasing it domestically, and 20th Century Fox, which is distributing it internationally, fell one peg to second place in its second weekend a still sizzling estimated $22.0 million (-26 percent) at 2,825 theaters (+12 theaters; $7,788 per theater). Its cume is approximately $68.5 million.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis, it stars Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer.
20th Century Fox's "X-Men" fell one slot to third place in its third week with a less X-citing estimated $11.5 million (-51 percent) at 3,107 theaters (-5 theaters; $3,701 per theater). Its cume is approximately $121.8 million, heading for $140-145 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Bryan Singer and produced by Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter, "X-Men's" extensive cast is headed by Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman and Ian McKellen.
Dimension Films' R-rated, gross-out, comedy-horror film spoof "Scary Movie" held on to fourth place in its fourth week with a still-solid estimated $8.1 million (-47 percent) at 3,256 theaters (-45 theaters; $2,487 per theater). Its cume is approximately $131.9 million.
"Scary" will crack $138 million by next weekend, meaning it will overtake "Good Will Hunting" to become the biggest-grossing film ever for Miramax or Dimension.
"It's fantastic," Miramax senior vice president, marketing David Kaminow said Sunday morning. "We're getting a ton of repeat business. We knew this weekend was going to be our biggest drop with 'Nutty Professor' coming into the marketplace. But, all in all, it's a pretty good hold."
Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, it stars Carmen Electra and Shannon Elizabeth.
Warner Bros.' PG-13-rated adventure drama blockbuster "The Perfect Storm" remained anchored in fifth place in its fifth week, still holding okay with an estimated $7.03 million (-27 percent) at 3,093 theaters (-110 theaters; $2,273 per theater). Its cume is approximately $157.6 million, heading for $180 million or more.
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, "Storm" stars George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg.
Warner Bros.' G-rated Japanese animated feature "Pokemon The Movie 2000" plunged three rungs in its second week to sixth place with a quieter estimated $6.3 million (-68 percent) at 2,752 theaters (theater count unchanged; $2,289 per theater). Its cume is approximately $33.2 million, heading for $50 million in domestic theaters.
"I said to you last week that we were going to have good mid-weeks," Warners' Fellman noted. "Last week, we averaged almost $2 million a day. So even if we average $800,000 a day during the week, we'll be over $10 million (for this week), which will bring us to around $40 million. We were projecting $50 million, so that's easy (to get to). That's a win-win for us."
Looking ahead, Fellman added, "Watch how fast the next one comes in. The third one opened in Japan and did 111 percent of the second one just last week. The people who make these have said they're going to make a fourth now. We have an option on the third and we'll exercise it. We'll most likely release it at Easter time."
The video release of "Pokemon The Movie 2000" will go out during the holiday season this year, Fellman said, "and we'll put a trailer on it for number three. Then we'll pop out number three (in theaters next Easter)."
Buena Vista/Disney's PG-rated comedy "Disney's The Kid" dropped one notch to seventh place in its fourth week with a calm estimated $5.1 million (-23 percent) at 2,328 theaters (-15 theaters; $2,191 per theater). Its cume is approximately $52.0 million.
Directed by Jon Turtletaub, it stars Bruce Willis.
Columbia and Centropolis Entertainment's "The Patriot" slid one slot to eighth seventh place in its fifth week with a slower estimated $4.6 million (-26 percent) at 2,329 theaters (-422 theaters; $1,975 per theater). Its cume is approximately $101.4 million, heading for $115 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Roland Emmerich, "Patriot" stars Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger.
Destination Films' opening of its G-rated family film "Thomas and the Magic Railroad" chugged into ninth place with a hopeful estimated $4.15 million at 2,106 theaters ($1,970 per theater). Its cume after 5 days is approximately $6.6 million.
"For a movie that we've all known is young -- mostly half-priced tickets and playing basically up until about seven o'clock when you hit a wall -- it's not so bad," Destination chairman &amp; CEO Barry London said Sunday morning.
"It's basically positioned well. It's got nothing behind it to compete with for the rest of the summer. And, hopefully, the film will continue to perform. The exit polls seem to be pretty good on it. On Wednesday, it opened to $1.4 million, which was phenomenal (for a kids movie opening midweek). It did $1 million on Thursday. So it's been very consistent as to what it can do on a daily basis."
Destination has all North American rights to "Thomas," including home video. "I would think this should be a terrific video title," London said. "Especially with the pattern of how many they've sold of their 30-minute (TV shows about Thomas) - over 20 million."
Directed by Britt Allcroft, it stars Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda and Mara Wilson.
Rounding out the Top Ten was DreamWorks' G-rated animated feature "Chicken Run," down one notch but still showing decent legs in its sixth week with an estimated $3.4 million (-25 percent) at 2,114 theaters (-463 theaters; $1,608 per theater). Its cume is approximately $92.9 million, heading for $100 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Peter Lord &amp; Nick Park, "Chicken" features such voices as Mel Gibson and Miranda Richardson.
OTHER OPENINGS This weekend also saw the arrival of Paramount Classics' R-rated drama "The Girl On the Bridge" in limited release, placing 26th with an encouraging estimated $64,000 at 6 theaters ($10,735 per theater).
Directed by Pa rice Leconte, it stars Daniel Auteuil and Vanessa Paradis.
USA Films' R-rated drama "Wonderland-USA" opened in New York and Los Angeles, placing 28th with a hopeful estimated $37,000 at 4 theaters ($9,150 per theater).
Directed by Michael Winterbottom, it stars Ian Hart and Stuart Townsend.
SNEAK PREVIEWS Warner Bros. held 800 sneak previews Saturday night of its PG-13-rated football comedy "The Replacements" from Bel-Air Entertainment.
"The sneaks were excellent," Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman said Sunday morning. "About 80 percent of the theaters were 50 percent-to-capacity, which was great. This was the whole key to what we do - to try to get bodies in there. 90 percent of the audience put it in the top three boxes (excellent, very good and good). They really liked this movie.
"All of our screenings have been excellent. We're going to do it again next weekend (also at about 800 theaters)."
Getting word of mouth going, he added, was "what the program was about. It obviously helped. We'll see the tracking next week and we'll see what the word is. We've got a radio promotional campaign. We've got word of mouth screenings. We've got sneaks. The movie sells itself and that's why we want to screen it."
"Replacements" opens Aug. 11 at 2,700-plus theaters.
Directed by Howard Deutch, it stars Keanu Reeves and Gene Hackman.
Warners also had about 800 sneaks scheduled for Sunday night of its PG-13-rated sci-fi drama "Space Cowboys."
Directed and produced by Clint Eastwood, it stars Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland and James Garner.
"Our early screenings for the press were excellent," Fellman pointed out. "People just really like this movie. The reviews coming in from the (media) junket are just fantastic. It's a good movie."
"Cowboys" opens wide Aug. 4.
EXPANSIONS On the expansion front this weekend, Lions Gate Films' R-rated sex comedy "But I'm A Cheerleader" widened in its fourth week, placing 20th with a quiet estimated $0.23 million at 60 theaters (+31 theaters; $3,750 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.6 million.
Directed by Jamie Babbit, it stars Natasha Lyonne, Clea Duvall, RuPaul Charles and Cathy Moriarity.
USA Films' director's cut reissue of the R-rated 1984 thriller "Blood Simple" expanded in its fourth week, placing 21st with an okay estimated $0.18 million (+4 percent) at 67 theaters (+11 theaters; $2,640 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.7 million.
Directed by Joel Coen and written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, it stars John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, Samm-Art Williams and M. Emmet Walsh.
Artisan Entertainment's R-rated dark comedy "Chuck and Buck" expanded in its third week, placing 23rd with a calm estimated $0.13 million (+9 percent) at 32 theaters (+7 theaters; $4,130 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.4 million.
Directed by Miguel Arteta, it stars Mike white and Chris Weitz.
Lions Gate Films' PG-13-rated "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," a documentary about the life of Tammy Faye Baker, added theaters in its second week, placing 27th with a restrained estimated $48,000 at 9 theaters (+7 theaters; $5,333 per theater). Its cume is approximately $72,000.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 for the weekend -- took in approximately $123.14 million, down about 19.45 percent from the comparable weekend last year when key films grossed $152.87 million.
This weekend's key film gross was down about 7.10 percent from this year's previous weekend when key films grossed $132.55 million.
Last year, Paramount's opening week of "Runaway Bride" was first with $35.06 million at 3,158 theaters ($11,101 per theater); and Artisan Entertainment's first wide week of "Blair Witch Project" was second with $29.21 million at 1,101 theaters ($26,528 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $64.3 million. This year, the top two films grossed an estimated $64.7 million.
STUDIO MARKET SHARES Based on business by key films (those grossing $500,000 or more), last weekend's top six distributors were:
Universal was first with one film ("Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps"), grossing an estimated $42.7 million or 34.7 percent of the market.
DreamWorks was second with three films("What Lies Beneath," "Chicken Run" and "Gladiator"), grossing an estimated $26.3 million or 21.4 percent of the market.
Warner Bros. was third with three films ("Pokemon The Movie 2000," "The Perfect Storm" and "The In Crowd"), grossing an estimated $13.97 million or 11.3 percent of the market.
20th Century Fox was fourth with three films ("X-Men," "Me, Myself &amp; Irene" and "Big Momma's House"), grossing an estimated $13.73 million or 11.2 percent of the market.
Miramax (Miramax and Dimension) was fifth with one film ("Scary Movie"), grossing an estimated $8.1 million or 6.6 percent of the market.
Sony Pictures Releasing (Columbia and TriStar) was sixth with two films ("The Patriot" and "Loser"), grossing an estimated $7.3 million or 5.9 percent of the market.
ADDITIONAL ESTIMATES (11)Loser/Columbia: Theaters: 2,016 (0) Gross: $2.7 million (-55 percent) Average per theater: $1,339 Cume: $12.0 million
(12)Me, Myself &amp; Irene/Fox: Theaters: 1,576 (-874) Gross: $1.3 million (-56 percent) Average per theater: $825 Cume: $85.7 million
(13)Mission: Impossible 2/Paramount: Theaters: 820 (-205) Gross: $0.97 million (-24 percent) Average per theater: $1,185 Cume: $211.4 million
(14)Big Momma's House/Fox: Theaters: 924 (-269) Gross: $0.93 million (-45 percent) Average per theater: $1,005 Cume: $113.0 million
(15)Gladiator/DreamWorks: Theaters: 651 (-96) Gross: $0.9 million (-14 percent) Average per theater: $1,385 Cume: $180.0 million
(16)Gone In 60 Seconds/BV: Theaters: 803 (-239) Gross: $0.78 million (-33 percent) Average per theater: $971 Cume: $95.0 million
(17)The In Crowd/WB/Morgan Creek: Theaters: 1,335 (-22) Gross: $0.64 million (-57 percent) Average per theater: $479 Cume: $4.4 million
(18)Shaft/Paramount: Theaters: 757 (-468) Gross: $0.47 million (-56 percent) Average per theater: $615 Cume: $68.8 million
(19)Adventures of Rocky &amp; Bullwinkle/Universal: Theaters: 657 (-545) Gross: $0.4 million (-40 percent) Average per theater: $610 Cume: $23.3 million
(20)But I'm A Cheerleader/Lions Gate: (See EXPANSIONS above)
(21) Blood Simple/USA Films: (See EXPANSIONS above)
(22)U-571/Universal: Theaters: 285 (-45) Gross: $0.16 million (-20 percent) Average per theater: $560 Cume: $76.7 million
(23)Chuck &amp; Buck/Artisan: (See EXPANSIONS above)
(24)The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas/Universal: Theaters: 250 (-56) Gross: $0.12 million (-29 percent) Average per theater: $480 Cume: $34.9 million
(25) Erin Brockovich/Universal: Theaters: 145 (-27) Gross: $65,000 (-28 percent) Average per theater: $450 Cume: $125.4 million
(26)THE GIRL ON THE BRIDGE/Paramount Classics: (See OTHER OPENINGS above)
(27)The Eyes of Tammy Faye/Lions Gate: (See EXPANSIONS above)
(28)WONDERLAND/USA Films: (See OTHER OPENINGS above)
(29)Alice and Martin/USA Films: Theaters: 1 (0) Gross: $18,448 (-14 percent) Average per theater: $18,448 Cume: $52,000

"What Lies Beneath" opened better than X-pected to a spirited $30 million, easily evicting "X-Men" from first place.
The R-rated supernatural thriller, co-financed by DreamWorks (which is releasing it domestically) and 20th Century Fox (which is distributing it internationally) arrived to a lively ESTIMATED $30.1 million at 2,813 theaters ($10,700 per theater). Its per-theater average was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend.
"Beneath" had appeared likely to materialize in second place based on tracking scores late last week.
"The tracking earlier in the week had us (opening) in the mid-$20 millions," DreamWorks distribution head Jim Tharp said Sunday morning. "So, obviously, we're very pleased with it. I think it's due, primarily, to the popularity of the cast of Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer and (director) Bob Zemeckis, of course."
Tharp also pointed to the effectiveness of the film's marketing campaign: "I think the trailer was very intriguing. The awareness that was created by the trailer was a very high number. Over a period of time, we received some criticism from people saying we gave away too much. But, obviously, this worked well."
"Beneath" should rank as Zemeckis' best opening: "I think it's Bob's biggest opening. He and I talked last night, going over (his past openings like) 'Back to the Future 2,' which was $27.8 million. 'Forrest Gump' was in the mid-$20 millions. 'Contact' was around $20 million and got to $100 million."
The blockbuster opening for "Beneath" is the latest of many successes this year for DreamWorks. "It's been a fun year for DreamWorks, starting with 'Galaxy Quest' (last holiday season), which did $70 million," Tharp observed. "'American Beauty,' which we brought in for the (Oscar) nominations and awards run, did another $50 million this year. We did $51 million on 'The Road to El Dorado.' We were really pleased with Woody Allen's 'Small Time Crooks.' We're going to get to $17 million on that. 'Road Trip' is close to $70 million. And 'Gladiator' should end up with a little over $180 million. 'Chicken Run' is at $86.2 million after this week, so it should get to a little over $100 million, as well."
Looking at the studio's exit polls for "Beneath," Tharp noted, "We skewed heavily with women - 61% of the audience was female. 64% was over 25. For that primary demographic of women, the excellent and very good (score) ran about 90%. The overall Top Two Boxes was 79% and the overall definite recommend was around 70%."
Directed by Robert Zemeckis, 'What Lies' stars Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer.
20th Century Fox's "X-Men" took an X-tra big second week drop, falling one slot to second place with a still sizable ESTIMATED $23.7 million (-56%) at 3,101 theaters (+76 theaters; $7,643 per theater). Its cume is approximately $99.5 million.
"It fell 65% on Friday night, but don't forget it opened up to over $20 million (last Friday)," Tom Sherak, 20th Domestic Film Group chairman and senior executive vice president of Fox Filmed Entertainment, said Sunday morning.
"It went up 31% last night from Friday night, which is really good. So we're going to wait until the third weekend before we decide whether it gets to $140 million or $175 million.
"Figure $100 million now, coming off (about) $24 million in box office (this weekend). You figure you can do at least $135-140 million. There's another $35 million left in the movie. If it holds next week, which we think it will, it gets to $160-170 million."
Directed by Bryan Singer and produced by Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter, "X-Men'" extensive cast is headed by Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman and Ian McKellen.
Warner Bros.' opening of its G-rated Japanese animated feature "Pokemon The Movie 2000" was a surprisingly strong power player in third place with a winning ESTIMATED $21.52 million at 2,752 theaters ($7,818 per theater).
The original "Pokemon: The First Movie" opened via Warner Bros. to $31.04 million the weekend of Nov. 12-14, 1999, at 3,043 theaters ($10,199 per theater). Its cume for five days was $50.8 million. At that point, Pokemon fever was running very high.
Insiders note that Warners was smart to get the new "Pokemon" feature into theaters quickly since there seems to be diminishing interest by kids in the Pokemon craze. Sales of Pokemon-related merchandise and toys are said to be down from where they were last fall.
"I think there's no question that 'Pokemon' is not as strong an entity (in terms of toy sales) as it was. But this (opening) gives you an indication that there's still a lot of young Pokemon fans in the marketplace," Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman said Sunday morning.
"To come in right at the heels of 'X-Men' indicates that there's a lot of things going on out there considering that these are child admissions. Our business really is matinee driven. We have almost no evening business whatsoever. The first one was released in the fall. In the first week, our non-holiday Monday and Tuesday, when the kids were in school, was $1.2 million a day. Now we have the summer, so it will be interesting to see what these next few days do (with kids out of school)."
Dimension Films' R-rated gross-out comedy horror film spoof "Scary Movie" continued to show good legs, falling two rungs in its third week to fourth place with an ESTIMATED $14.9 million (-43%) at 3,301 theaters (+149 theaters; $4,513 per theater). Its cume is approximately $116.3 million.
"It's another great weekend," Miramax senior vice president, marketing David Kaminow said Sunday morning. "We're looking at about $140 million."
If "Scary" breaks $138 million, it will overtake "Good Will Hunting" as the biggest grossing film ever for Miramax or Dimension.
Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, it stars Carmen Electra and Shannon Elizabeth.
Warner Bros.' PG-13-rated adventure drama blockbuster "The Perfect Storm" sailed down two ports to fifth place in its fourth week, still making waves with an ESTIMATED $9.5 million (-45%) at 3,203 theaters (-204 theaters; $2,966 per theater). Its cume is approximately $145.2 million, heading for $180 million-plus.
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, "Storm" stars George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg.
Buena Vista/Disney's PG-rated comedy "Disney's The Kid" dropped one notch to sixth place in its third week with an okay ESTIMATED $7.0 million (-33%) at 2,343 theaters (+23 theaters; $2,989 per theater). Its cume is approximately $42.6 million.
Directed by Jon Turtletaub, it stars Bruce Willis.
Columbia and Centropolis Entertainment's "The Patriot," which was fourth last weekend, tied for seventh place in its fourth week with a quieter ESTIMATED $6.1 million (-43%) at 2,751 theaters (-310 theaters; $2,217 per theater). Its cume is approximately $93.3 million, heading for $115-120 million.
Directed by Roland Emmerich, "Patriot" stars Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger.
Columbia's PG-13-rated youth appeal comedy "Loser" was a box office loser, opening in a tie for seventh place to an ESTIMATED $6.1 million at 2,016 theaters ($3,026 per theater).
Written and directed by Amy Heckerling, it stars Jason Biggs, Mena Suvari and Greg Kinnear.
DreamWorks' G-rated animated feature "Chicken Run" was ninth, down three slots in its fifth week with a less tasty ESTIMATED $4.8 million (-39%) at 2,577 theaters (-376 theaters; $1,863 per theater). Its cume is approximately $86.2 million, heading for $100 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Peter Lord &amp; Nick Park, "Chicken" features such voices as Mel Gibson and Miranda Richardson.
Rounding out the Top Ten was 20th Century Fox's R-rated Jim Carrey comedy "Me, Myself &amp; Irene," down three rungs in its fifth week with a slow ESTIMATED $3.1 million (-46%) at 2,450 theaters (-400 theaters; $1,265 per theater). Its cume is approximately $83.1 million.
Directed by Peter &amp; Bobby Farrelly ("There's Something About Mary"), "Irene" stars Jim Carrey and Renee Zellweger.
OTHER OPENINGS This weekend also saw the arrival of Warner Bros. and Morgan Creek's PG-13-rated psychological thriller "The In Crowd," which should be in and out of theaters quickly, opening in 12th place to an estimated $1.47 million at 1,357 theaters ($1,083 per theater). Its cume after 5 days is approximately $2.7 million.
Directed by Mary Lambert, it stars Susan Ward, Lori Heuring, Matthew Settle and Nathan Bexton.
USA Films' French drama "Alice Et Martin" opened in New York, placing 25th with an encouraging estimated $22,000 at one theater.
Directed by Andre Techine, it stars Juliette Binoche.
Lions Gate Films' PG-13-rated "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," a documentary about the life of Tammy Faye Baker, opened in New York, placing 26th with a calm estimated $15,000 at 2 theaters ($7,500 per theater).
"We open San Francisco and L.A. this coming week and then it will be a slow roll out through August," Lions Gate co-president Tom Ortenberg said Sunday morning.
SNEAK PREVIEWS There were no national sneak previews this weekend.
EXPANSIONS On the expansion front this weekend, USA Films' director's cut reissue of the R-rated 1984 thriller "Blood Simple" went wider in its third week, placing 18th with an okay estimated $0.17 million (-5 percent) at 56 theaters (+24 theaters; $3,095 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.5 million.
Directed by Joel Coen and written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, it stars John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, Samm-Art Williams and M. Emmet Walsh.
Artisan Entertainment's R-rated dark comedy "Chuck and Buck" expanded in its second week, placing 21st with a calm estimated $0.13 million at 25 theaters (+18 theaters; $5,220 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.2 million.
Directed by Miguel Arteta, it stars Mike white and Chris Weitz.
Lions Gate Films' R-rated sex comedy "But I'm A Cheerleader" expanded in its third week, placing 22nd with a quiet estimated $0.12 million at 29 theaters (+17 theaters; $3,966 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.3 million.
Directed by Jamie Babbit, it stars Natasha Lyonne, Clea Duvall, RuPaul Charles and Cathy Moriarity.
Fine Line Features' R-rated comedy drama "The Five Senses" added theaters in its second week, placing 24th with an okay estimated $42,000 at 6 theaters (+4 theaters; $7,000 per theater). Its cume is approximately $79,000.
Written and directed by Jeremy Podeswa, it stars Mary-Louise Parker and Brendan Fletcher.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 for the weekend -- took in approximately $135.24 million, up about 4.24 percent from the comparable weekend last year when key films grossed $129.73 million.
This weekend's key film gross was down about 7.62 percent from this year's previous weekend when key films grossed $146.43 million.
Last year, DreamWorks' opening week of "The Haunting" was first with $33.43 million at 2,808 theaters ($11,907 per theater); and Buena Vista's opening week of "Inspector Gadget" was second with $21.89 million at 2,814 theaters ($7,779 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $55.3 million. This year, the top two films grossed an estimated $53.8 million.
STUDIO MARKET SHARES Based on business by key films (those grossing $500,000 or more), last weekend's top six distributors were:
DreamWorks was first with three films("What Lies Beneath," "Chicken Run" and "Gladiator"), grossing an estimated $36.0 million or 26.6 percent of the market.
Warner Bros. was second with three films ("Pokemon The Movie 2000," "The Perfect Storm" and "The In Crowd"), grossing an estimated $32.49 million or 24.0 percent of the market.
20th Century Fox was third with three films ("X-Men," "Me, Myself &amp; Irene" and "Big Momma's House"), grossing an estimated $28.5 million or 21.1 percent of the market.
Miramax (Miramax and Dimension) was fourth with one film ("Scary Movie"), grossing an estimated $14.9 million or 11.0 percent of the market.
Sony Pictures Releasing (Columbia and TriStar) was fifth with two films ("The Patriot" and "Loser"), grossing an estimated $12.2 million or 9.0 percent of the market.
Buena Vista (Disney and Touchstone) was sixth with two films("Gone in 60 Seconds" and "Disney's The Kid"), grossing an estimated $8.1 million or 6.0 percent of the market.
ADDITIONAL ESTIMATES (11)Big Momma's House/Fox: Theaters: 1,202 (-441) Gross: $1.7 million (-40 percent) Average per theater: $1,414 Cume: $111.3 million
(12)THE IN CROWD/Warner Bros./Morgan Creek: (See OTHER OPENINGS above)
(13) Mission: Impossible 2/Paramount: Theaters: 1,025 (-684) Gross: $1.3 million (-43 percent) Average per theater: $1,290 Cume: $210.0 million
(14)Shaft/Paramount: Theaters: 1,225 (-522) Gross: $1.1 million (-53 percent) (tie) Average per theater: $915 Cume: $68.0 million
(14)Gone In 60 Seconds/BV: Theaters: 1,042 (-660) Gross: $1.1 million (-55 percent) (tie) Average per theater: $1,083 Cume: $93.5 million
(16)Gladiator/DreamWorks: Theaters: 747 (-287) Gross: $1.06 million (-33 percent) Average per theater: $1,420 Cume: $178.5 million
(17)Adventures of Rocky &amp; Bullwinkle/Universal: Theaters: 1,202 (-1,126) Gross: $0.65 million (-72 percent) Average per theater: $540 Cume: $22.4 million
(18) Blood Simple/USA Films: (See EXPANSIONS above)
(19)The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas/Universal: Theaters: 303 (-47) Gross: $0.15 million (-23 percent) Average per theater: $495 Cume: $34.7 million
(20)U-571/Universal: Theaters: 332 (+21) Gross: $0.14 million (-29 percent) Average per theater: $425 Cume: $76.3 million
(21)Chuck &amp; Buck/Artisan: (See EXPANSIONS above)
(22)But I'm A Cheerleader/Lions Gate: (See EXPANSIONS above)
(23)Erin Brockovich/Universal: Theaters: 173 (-29) Gross: $0.1 million (-28 percent) Average per theater: $550 Cume: $125.3 million
(24)The Five Senses/Fine Line: (See EXPANSIONS above)
(25)ALICE AND MARTIN/USA Films: (See OTHER OPENINGS above)
(26)THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE/Lions Gate: (See OTHER OPENINGS above)